Verbal skills in children with ADHD

The present study examined whether ADHD children exhibit low verbal IQ (VIQ) and distinguishable test profile on the Verbal comprehension (VC) and Freedom from distractibility (FFD) factors, and whether gender influences their verbal abilities. At the Laboratory of Neuropsychology of the Department of Special Education, University of Thessaly, WISC‐III verbal scales were administered to 69 ADHD children (50 boys and 19 girls) and controls who were matched for age and sex. Mean scores for all WISC‐III verbal scales, VIQ, VC and FFD of ADHD children were significantly lower than controls. FFD was found lower than VC and it correlated statistically significantly with VC in ADHD children. No gender differences were found among ADHD children.     

A Personal Theory of Teaching Computing Through Final Year Projects

Stated learning objectives for final year projects tend to be fairly generic. As a result, individual students' experience of project work will depend heavily on the attitudes and beliefs of their supervisor. This paper questions the purpose of projects in the computing curriculum and proposes a personal theory of teaching through projects. In deciding whether such a personal theory should emphasize disciplinary specific content or an experiential approach to learning we consider teaching and learning as a process of enculturation. The personal theory of teaching proposed envisages projects as an opportunity for students to engage in realistic activity which allows them to learn something of the nature of the discipline. The student may be thought of as being on a journey, while the supervisor takes the role of a guide pointing out alternatives along the route but allowing students ultimately to find their own way.     

Grading as a Reform Effort: Do Standards‐Based Grades Converge With Test Scores?

Standards‐based progress reports (SBPRs) require teachers to grade students using the performance levels reported by state tests and are an increasingly popular report card format. They may help to increase teacher familiarity with state standards, encourage teachers to exclude nonacademic factors from grades, and/or improve communication with parents. The current study examines the SBPR grade–state test score correspondence observed across 2 years in 125 third and fifth grade classrooms located in one school district to examine the degree of consistency between grades and state test results. It also examines the grading practices of a subset of 37 teachers to determine whether there is an association between teacher appraisal style and convergence rates. A moderate degree of grade–test score convergence was observed using three agreement estimates (coefficient kappa, tau‐b correlations, and classroom‐level mean differences between grades and test scores). In addition, only small amounts of grade–test score convergence were observed between teachers; a much greater proportion of variance lay within classrooms and subjects. Appraisal style correlated weakly with convergence rates, but was most strongly related to assigning students to the same performance level as the test. Therefore using recommended grading practices may improve the quality of SBPR grades to some extent.     

Models in physics: perceptions held by final‐year prospective physical science teachers studying at South African universities

Abstract

The nature of physics as a scientific discipline is largely determined by the models of reality it utilizes. It is therefore appropriate that teachers of physics have a sound knowledge of the origin and nature of these models, their functions and the role they play in the development of the discipline. The results of a study with regard to the perceptions of models held by prospective physical science (a combination of physics and chemistry) teachers studying at South African universities are reported in this paper. The overall conclusion drawn from the study is that these students are far from prepared to incorporate models properly in their teaching. General misconceptions about models have also been identified. These misconceptions can have far‐reaching effects on the structuring of the physics knowledge of pupils exposed to them.